Two Eternal Rivals Walk Into a Bar
by whosaidwhat
Summary: Asuma, freshly returned from his stint with the Guardian Shinobi, catches up with old friends.


Asuma was used to the unexpected. He was a shinobi, dealing with surprises was part of his job. He was especially used to dealing with the shenanigans of his fellow Jonin. After all, Asuma had run away from home for years to hang out with monks and develop a smoking habit that was definitely-totally under control, and he was considered one of the well-adjusted ones.

So he wasn't exactly surprised to see Gai and Kakashi each lugging a boulder the size of an academy student into the bar where he had been smoking and drinking the evening away. Amused. Exasperated. Curious perhaps. But not surprised.

Gai spotted him first, shooting him a smile from under the boulder he had thrown over his shoulder. "Ah, Asuma, my friend!"

Asuma raised his beer at them. "Gai, good to see you. It's been a while. You too Kakashi."

Kakashi gave a casual salute with one hand, the other propping up his own boulder.

"How have you been? Have any interesting missions?" Asuma asked Gai as the green-clad jonin plopped himself on the stool next to him, which creaked ominously under the weight.

"Ah, nothing too exciting. Although Kakashi and I teamed up for an A-Rank last week! We had to set aside our rivalry for the sake of the mission, but it was worth it to do good on behalf of our beloved village!"

"Set aside our rivalry?" Kakashi was suddenly seated on Asuma's other side. His chair was noticeably quieter than Gai's, despite the weight of his own boulder. "That's interesting to hear you say. I seem to remember you trying to turn every little thing into a competition. You wanted to race back to Konoha for heaven's sake. Oh my, completely unprofessional."

Gai grinned painfully, his face turning red. "As I have explained several times, Kakashi, those were not official rival challenges, so they do not count. Just a little friendly fun between jonin." He suddenly leapt up, his chair groaning gratefully in response. "Ah! Genma, how have you been, my old teammate? I've been meaning to have a talk with you." Gai set off toward the other side of the bar, leaving Asuma alone with Kakashi.

Asuma glanced at his new drinking companion, who was lowering an empty sake dish from his masked face. Asuma rolled his eyes. Gai may have been the louder and more obvious of the two, but both of the "Eternal Rivals" could be equally infuriating in Asuma's opinion.

"The boulders?"

"A challenge." Kakashi replied simply. Asuma nodded. It was a strange one, but not the strangest contest he'd seen the two partake in.

The pair sat in silence for several minutes, nursing their drinks.

"So…" Kakashi started. "How's it going? Haven't seen much of you since you've been back."

Asuma took a swig of his beer. "Well, you're a busy man. Even when you're out of ANBU, they don't give you much of a break it seems. And Gai takes up the rest of your time."

Kakashi chuckled. "I suppose that's true."

Asuma waited, but Kakashi didn't speak again. To be honest, Asuma was weary of Kakashi. When Asuma had left Konoha years ago, Kakashi had been deep in the darkness of ANBU. A cold-blooded assassin on the best of days, and a depressed mess the rest of the time. The Kakashi he knew had been obsessed with the Shinobi rules, as a way of coping with his father's death. Although he seemed different now, Asuma didn't know how Kakashi felt about his temporary departure from Konoha, which definitely did not fit in with the Shinobi rules.

Across the room, happier thoughts awaited as Kurenai entered the bar. Dressed in the preposterous bandage contraption she had taken to wearing, her wavy dark hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her striking red eyes scoped out the bar. Her eyes fell on Asuma, and she gave a small smile. Asuma waved in response. God she looked good.

Beside him, he heard Kakashi sigh. "Still pining after Kurenai huh? I guess some things never change."

Asuma leveled his gaze at him and scoffed. "I don't pine."

"Mah, mah, whatever you say."

"And what about you Kakashi, have you changed?"

Kakashi paused in raising another drink to his masked lips. His head tilted upwards, considering. "What do you think?"

Asuma chuckled. "From where I'm sitting, no one's changed more in my time away from the village."

"How so?"

"Well for one thing, you never used to put up with Gai this well."

Kakashi smiled. "I suppose that's true."

"But it's more than that. There's a different air about you now. Kinder. Gentler."

Kakashi covered his masked face. "Stop, please. You'll make me blush."

"Is it real? Have you changed?" Asuma stared at Kakashi intently.

Kakashi lowered his hand, looking back at Asuma. "Perhaps."

"Because you used to be a bit of an ass."

"Ouch," Kakashi deadpanned, "that's a mean thing to say."

"No offense, but it's the truth. What happened?"

Kakashi rested his head gently on his boulder, thinking for real this time. "Nothing happened. Nothing more than what had already happened. Time just heals all wounds I suppose."

Asuma nodded doubtfully. Kakashi had always been terrible at moving on. Although with his past, who could blame him.

"I understand if you don't trust me yet, but I do think I've changed. And I believe it's for the better." He bowed his head slightly. "I only hope I can prove it to you."

Asuma stared, then stood decisively. "For whatever reason, I believe you."

Kakashi didn't respond, instead playing with the now-empty sake dish. He'd managed to drain it again sometime during their conversation without Asuma seeing.

"Well, don't think you're the only one who's changed."

"Oh?" Kakashi looked up as Asuma strode toward Kurenai, who had been lingering on the other side of the bar, waiting for the conversation to end. He wrapped her in an embrace and kissed her passionately. Kurenai seemed surprised at first, but soon softened to his familiar touch.

"Oh my." Asuma broke away as he heard Kakashi behind him. He turned to look back at the masked jonin. "I see. No more pining indeed."

Kurenai smiled up at him. A beautiful smile in any case, but a thousand times more so because it was for him. "I didn't think we were doing that in public?"

Asuma shrugged sheepishly. "It felt like the right time."

He grinned, and went to pull Kurenai in for more, but she was squinting intently at their masked companion. "Kakashi what are you doing with that?"

Kakashi's one exposed eye widened, and he waved his arm frantically. "W- w- what? What are you talking about? Kurenai I think you've had quite enough to drink, you should take her home already Asuma."

Kakashi began to back toward the door, but not fast enough. Kurenai snapped her fingers and the Genjutsu was dispelled. The boulder in Kakashi's arms disappeared with a poof of smoke. In its place was a handsome green pillow, embroidered with images of happy turtles dancing and swimming in a pond.

There was an enormous crash on the other side of the bar. All eyes turned to Gai, who had dropped his own, very real boulder onto the floor. The wooden planks had splintered and broken beneath the weight. He seemed not to notice. His outrage had eyes for only one person.

"Kakashi!"

The jonin in question turned a peeved look to Kurenai and Asuma. "Ok, so maybe I haven't changed _that _much." Then he was gone in one of the fastest body flickers Asuma had ever seen. Gai howled and disappeared in pursuit a moment later.

* * *

Although the bartender made quite a fuss, it was a bar frequented by shinobi, so these things tended to happen. Asuma and Kurenai disposed of the boulder while a nondescript young man spoke apologetically with the bartender before repairing the floor with a Wood Style jutsu. Asuma hadn't known that Konoha had any Wood Style users left. But then again, he wasn't particularly surprised. After all, he was a shinobi. Surprises were his specialty.


End file.
